Bezledy | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Old farm building | |
  Bezledy | |
| Coordinates:54°19′21″N20°43′41″E / 54.32250°N 20.72806°E /54.32250; 20.72806 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship |  Warmian-Masurian |
| County | Bartoszyce |
| Gmina | Bartoszyce |
| Population | 470 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Vehicle registration | NBA |
| National roads |  |
Bezledy[bɛˈzlɛdɨ] (German:Beisleiden)[1] is avillage in the administrative district ofGmina Bartoszyce, withinBartoszyce County,Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland, close to the border with theKaliningrad Oblast ofRussia.[2] It lies approximately 10 kilometres (6 mi) north-west ofBartoszyce and 62 km (39 mi) north of the regional capitalOlsztyn.
The village is the main border crossing point between Russia and Poland (Bezledy/Bagrationovsk).
AnOld Prussian castle namedBeselede, property of theNatangian noblemanPosdraupote, was first mentioned in a chronicle of theTeutonic Order in 1274, when the castle had been besieged bySudovians. The village was mentioned as an Old Prussian settlement in 1338 and in 1400 as the property of Philipp von Beisleiden with a size of 20 "Hufen", a square measure of the Teutonic Knights. Throughout the Polish-TeutonicHunger War of 1414 the settlement was destroyed by Polish troops, who killed 3 men and caused a damage of 300 Mark. In 1440, Philipp von Beisleiden, owner of the village, joined thePrussian Confederation, opposing the rule of the Teutonic Knights.[3] In 1454, KingCasimir IV Jagiellon incorporated the region to theKingdom of Poland upon the request of the Prussian Confederation.[4] After the subsequentThirteen Years' War (1454–1466), the village became a part of Poland as afief held by Teutonic Order.[5] In 1484 the von Prömock family, a noble family of Old Prussian origin, was mentioned as owner of the village, which lasted until 1671.
From the 18th century, the village formed part of theKingdom of Prussia, and from 1871 it was also part of Germany, within which it was administratively located in the province ofEast Prussia. After a time of constantly changing landlords the village was bought by Ludwig von Oldenburg in 1801, whose family owned the manor until 1945. The manor house was completely destroyed in 1945.[6]
